From the Other Side
by Fae 206
Summary: Miguel, now twenty-seven, is a famous musician with a wife and two daughters. When he returns home for a DiaDe Los Muertes celebration, he finds himself threatened with a gun. When the gunman aims at his daughter, Miguel gives his life for her. Sent to the afterlife as a dead soul, Miguel learns that there is a way back to the world of the living but is it worth the cost?Flashbacks
1. Chapter 1

**From the Other Side**

**Chapter One**

Music had become such a large part of Miguel's life. He had played in secret up until the age of twelve but then his family had supported his playing more and more music. His favorite instrument was the guitar but he had also learned a few more. What had become even more important though was family.

Even though Miguel's dreams had come true and he was an internationally known, award winning musician, he didn't care to talk about his musical ambitions as the fact that his wife – Gloria, a doctor specializing in terminal illnesses – had been acknowledged for her work or that his daughters – Maria, who was five and Estefania who was two – had brought home artwork or projects that they were particularly proud of or had hit some milestone whether in school or just in their development.

That was what had become most important. Family. Being there for one another. Being able to provide for one another and today was a special day for the twenty-seven-year-old. It was Dia De Los Muertes but not just any year, this was the year that celebrated fifteen years since he had met his great great grandfather. It was something that he didn't talk about to anyone but something he could never forget.

It was the time that Ernesto De La Cruz stopped being his idol and Hector had been the man he would always look up to and admire. As Hector had told him himself, songs weren't written to be sung for the world. Remember Me had been intended for Coco and Miguel had his own songs of that nature as well. Songs for his wife. Songs for his girls. Hector had made more of an impression on Miguel than anyone before or since.

"So, girls," Gloria grinned as she approached the two young ones. "Are you excited to visit your grandparents," she grinned and they nodded. "I'm sure that you'll get some more shoes, you need some," she said as she kissed Maria's forehead. "I love you, my darlings," she said with a soft smile and Miguel nodded. He went over to the ofrenda for his family. He made sure to include all of their deceased family members. He was sure if he ever told anyone about the bridge he had been on or Dante they would have stared at him as if he were nuts, or at least un poco loco.

"Yes, yes, yes" Maria said excitedly and Estefania copied her before giggling.

"And you're sure that you aren't going to play any shows today? And I've told them at the hospital that I'm not to be bothered unless there's an emergency." Gloria smiled before getting the bags so that they could stay the night with the Rivera family.

"You know that Dia De Los Muertes has always been one of the most special times of the year for me," Miguel told her. "It is to show respect for one's ancestors." He kissed Gloria passionately, lifting her chin with his finger to deepen the kiss.

"And I love that about you," Gloria grinned although nobody knew the secret journey that he had taken and there was no reason to believe that he was telling the truth even if he had. It would be something that connected him with Hector but that was all it was. One day that happened fifteen years ago. One day that could possibly have been a dream in his head.

…..

…..

"It's so quiet," Gloria smiled as she twirled around in the moonlight next to the Rivera's house. She smiled to Miguel as he watched the children go to their grandparents. He smiled to them before kissing Gloria again. "So this is what you call home," she teased and Miguel nudged her.

"No, I consider my home wherever you and the girls are," he said and Gloria laughed her beautifully soft laugh.

"And I take offense at somebody showing off by wearing those expensive clothes here," a man said as he held a gun on them. Miguel took a step forward and placed himself between Gloria and the man.

"May I he-help you?" he asked as he tried to keep his strength.

"You couldn't help yourself fifteen years ago, what makes you think you could help yourself now," the man said and Miguel attempted to look at him, trying to figure out how he knew him or what might have happened.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you're," Miguel tapped Gloria's hand and gestured for her to go and be with his parents. "talking about."

"Nobody move," the man said as he pointed the gun at Miguel's head and the singer took slow breaths to steady himself. He had to think of a way to talk this man out of killing him. Fifteen years ago was when he had travelled to the land of the dead, it was when he had found out the truth about his great great grandparents, it was when Mama Coco had given him the letters and poems.

"You don't want to do this. Think of the conse-se-quences. I mean, you walk away now and we can all pretend that this never happened," he laughed and Gloria tried to budge but the gun was forced into Miguel's head even more.

They stood there with Miguel pacing his breaths, his brain scanning for how to get out of it when he heard a soft voice and his eyes widened. "Papa!" Estefania called out, escaping from her grandfather and running over to him. Miguel felt the gun move from his head as the opponent pointed it at the two year old.

"Shut up!" he yelled and Miguel saw his finger going to the trigger. His two year old daughter!? A _two-year-old!? _Miguel didn't feel that he had much of a choice as he managed to grab Estefania in his arms and turned so that his back was protecting her. He felt the bullet him him in the side and he choked but at least Estefania was safe.

From that point on, he could hear muffled sounds, see colors he couldn't place, hear sirens and tears and people begging for him to stay conscious, and then…nothing.

…

…

"I am so sorry," the customs agent said as she looked at the members of the Rivera family. "We will need at least one of you to stay behind. I have heard that there has been a death and we need for one of you to remain. My apologies."

"There's been a death?" Imelda asked before shaking her head, "Impossible. This is a day to celebrate the dead, I didn't give my permission for one of my precious family members to die. This must be…this must be a miscalculation on your part."

"Does it at least say what the death is?" Julio asked with a shrug.

"My records are just updating," the agent said with a sad look before pressing refresh. "Yes. Miguel Rivera, died age twenty-seven."

The crowd stopped and Imelda looked between the family members who were all in shock. That didn't sound right. "No. I know my great great grandson. I know that he's too strong to be dead, plus if he was poiso-"

Hector gave a weak look of concern as he thought about that. Would that really happen to the boy he had met all those years before. "If it was a poiso-" Hector shook his head, "Regardless of that. I'll stay here. I owe Miguel that much, after we wen-after he reminded Coco to put up my picture."

"I'll go with you, Papa," Coco replied and Hector nodded his gratitude. Holding onto his daughter tightly.

"I still don't understand how, _how_ Miguel died," Imelda said to the agent.

"He was murdered whilst protecting his daughter. Took a gunshot for her," she said and the family turned to each other in confusion. Who would dare to point a gun at a five-year-old?

**End of Chapter One**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Miguel groaned as he put a hand to his forehead. He was having a lot of trouble realizing what was going on. He didn't know where he was and the place where he had been…he had been shot? Miguel placed a hand to where the gun wound would have been but he didn't see his own hand, he saw a bony hand that was shining as if it had just transformed that way. He lay down again and closed his eyes painfully. He would never see his family again, his wife, his children. They were all gone.

He finally felt a breeze as some leaves got carried up and into the air. So the land of the dead was just as he had remembered it. It hadn't been a dream. He had been happy that he had made sure everyone was included on the family ofrenza because hopefully that would mean that he would never be forgotten. He looked to the side, finally taking in what was around him. He saw one of those officers entering his information into a computer. He had seen this happen before when people had tried to prove who he was but that had been years ago when he was a small boy and even before he started playing music in the square.

Wait? Did that mean that his own face was like that now? Had all of the old Miguel Rivera worn or dissolved away and the face which he had was that of a mask like those he had seen that night so many years ago. He saw a woman skeleton come over to him.

"Just wait a moment, honey," she said with the accent of a woman in her early twenties, "You must be in a lot of shock. We'll be able to explain it to you in a moment so just relax."

"It's okay," Miguel replied as he closed his eyes again. "I'm not really shocked. I know what is going on."

The woman gasped and Miguel sat to look at her, was that a strange thing to have said? Well, he wasn't like most people who died or at least he didn't think he was. He hadn't seen any other living boys all those years ago and wasn't it only on Dios de Los Muertes that the bridge was able to be used between the dead and the living. The woman looked at her file, "I don't understand. You were shot. This wasn't even a suicide, how can you be prepar-"

"I've been here before," Miguel laughed weakly and the woman looked at him confused before her eyes widened.

"You're _that_ musician," she said, "I was there that night where DeLaCruz became shamed. You're that living boy who was able to get back to the world of the living." Miguel nodded weakly. "I heard that you became a very big deal in music."

"Something like that," Miguel told her before hearing a barking. His eyes widened. No way. He smiled as he saw the multi-colored alebrije dog and opened his arms up to welcome him. Dante immediately went to his old friend and rubbed his head against Miguel's neck before licking him with his long and wet tongue. "Dante," he said before petting the dog's head. "I'm so glad to see you, boy." It was at least half true. He was glad to see his old friend but he just wished that he hadn't had died. He left everything behind by doing that.

"Seems like your family members are here," the female officer told him and Miguel nodded. He kept Dante's head on his leg. He tilted his head to the side but stumbled and it slipped off. He heard someone laughing as he quickly tried to reach for wherever his body part had fallen. How had it just fallen like that?

"You'll get used to that, Chamaco," he heard a familiar voice and one which he would never forget. As his head was placed back on his body, he looked up to see Hector there. He smiled weakly.

"Thank you," he said before looking at the other family member who had come. "Papa Hector, Mama Coco," he said before sighing. He looked at his hand and turned it. He felt Hector come to sit by his side.

"Glad that you remembered me, kid," Hector told him and Miguel gave him a puzzled look that was asking him why he would ever think that Miguel had forgotten him. He shook his head. That was one crazy night but it had taught him so many life lessons. That was it, _life_ lessons and he would never be alive again. "It's too bad about the being dead part."

Miguel nodded slowly, "Yeah," he sighed and turned to Coco who was standing there with her pleasant and calming smile over the skeleton face.

"You need to be proud of the life which you made," she told him and Miguel nodded slowly. He put a hand to where he had been shot. Of course it didn't hurt any longer, he wasn't alive to feel the way that the blood came out of his veins or how his nerves were cut short. He was dead. He now had his afterlife to take part in. "Two beautiful daughters. A beautiful wife. A career filled with popular music. You should be proud, nino."

Miguel looked at her sadly, "things that I will never have again." He froze before looking between the two of them. They hadn't said anything about another Rivera family member turning up in this world. Did that mean that because of his sacrifice, his family was safe. If he could only know their fate then his death would be a little easier to accept. "My family, they're alive aren't they?"

"We heard that you died protecting your little girl," Hector told him and Miguel sighed.

"Yes, an enemy to the family showed up. If I hadn't given my own life then I would have had to bury my Estefenia," he said before looking at his fingers, moving the skeleton hand once more. It didn't make him as uneasy as when he had first seen it. He could accept that he was dead as long as they were alive. "I wanted to tell you so much, Hector," Miguel said as he turned to his great great grandfather. "When you're writing music, you're right, it works better if you have a meaning and a motivation. My wife and my children were the biggest muses to my career but there was also you, you taught me a lot in only one night."

"And there is still more that I can teach you," Hector replied. "Your music is famous here. My music is famous here. I mean, in this family it seems that you have two choices," he tried to joke and Miguel laughed.

"The Rivera family is a little bit more than rogue musicians and shoes these days. Well, the shoe business is going strong but you get a choice to not have to make shoes if you don't want to," he said and Hector laughed at that. Miguel laughed in return, feeling weak and finding it easier to copy what was around him.

MRMRMR

Gloria sat in shock in the area of the Rivera's house where the shoes were made. She had held Miguel's corpse for as long as possible before the doctor had to pry her from it. She couldn't believe that someone had just killed him and worse than that, they had almost killed her baby. It must have been over money or at least a failed reputation because he said something about fifteen years ago and that was when Hector Rivera's story became well-known in the community. They had done this over…music?

Gloria waited nervously for something to happen but she wasn't sure what. She had no idea that she was being watched by ancestors from her dead husband's side of the family. She just wanted to get revenge and to protect the lives which mattered so much to not only Miguel but her too. "He didn't deserve that," she whispered to herself. She wanted to go and hug her daughters but she wasn't ready to give the needed explanations. She grabbed hold of a pair of scissors, letting her fingers go over the shiny metal blades.

She wanted to get some kind of revenge for what grief she was dealing with at this point. She heard the sound of the door open and quickly put the scissors down. She wasn't thinking rationally. Even though she had a great imagination which Miguel always praised, she was able to think rationally and logically. She ignored the sound of the door but then lifted her head as she heard a cough and saw an older woman standing there.

"Mama Elena?" she asked respectfully and Elena nodded her head. Gloria sniffed. "Sorry. I didn't ask permission to be in here. I just knew that if I went to where Miguel's body was, I would not have been permitted to see him. Is it okay to take another moment in here."

"What do you think I am?" Elena asked as she approached her grandson's wife. "An insensitive woman who doesn't care about her grandson!? Take one moment, take two, three, all the moments you wish. It is unfortunate that the curse came to him as well. I mean, I agree that you should follow your passions but this is the second time the curse has come to pass."

"The curse?" Gloria asked as she looked at Miguel's family member. She blinked. "There wasn't a curse. Something must have happened fifteen years ago. Miguel once told me that there was something about the dead that he knew calmed him when thinking about death. I don't know what it is."

"Suspicions aren't going to bring you anywhere, it is because he invested his time into music and not into family," Elena said.

"He lived doing what he loved," Gloria told her. "And there are other musicians in this family, maybe not to Hector Rivera or Miguel's levels but there are others passionate about music. There has to be something about the dead, something will connect me with Miguel again if just for this one night."

**End of Chapter Two**

**Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter One

DarthJacob1, Pixie-Fairy24


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Gloria stared at her mother-in-law as Lulsa Rivera placed the photo of her son on the ofrenza. She blinked back tears as her hand shook. This picture was taken just before his twenty seventh birthday, the very last birthday which he would be celebrating. His little girls would grow up without him. All they could do was try to keep his memory alive.

"He shouldn't be gone," Gloria argued. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course not," Lulsa said before turning to Enrique who was just standing in the doorway with a vacant expression on his face. She looked over to him and felt herself shiver more. Miguel had tried to make sure that his daughter lived. He had done something so brave and left such a gaping hole in the family. "Gloria, our family is your family. I hope you know that."

Gloria nodded as she looked at her wedding ring. Socorro looked up at her. The fifteen-year-old had her hands in fists at her side. After all, Miguel had been her big brother. He had promised to show her so much and he had always been so kind and warm and affectionate towards her. Even with the most trivial of problems, he had sat and listened to her. He had always been only a phone call away. Even if he was busy, he would never tell her that he was too busy for her.

"I suppose we can only ask our ancestors to look out for him now," Lulsa said as she made sure to position the photograph of her little boy next to his great grandmother. "I remember when Miguel was only a baby, Mama Coco cared for him greatly. I hope she cares for him in the afterlife too."

Enrique nodded. He remained silent though. His heart was broken over the loss of his son. He wished he had been able to say goodbye to him and promise that things were going to be okay. That was stolen from him.

Socorro frowned and she walked over to the picture of Miguel. "I want revenge," she said and Gloria nodded in agreement.

"Yes, revenge would feel nice," she agreed and Lulsa shook her head. She tried to dry her eyes before the tears that were threatening to fall actually did so.

"Miguel was very passive when it came to disagreements with others. I am sure that his spirit will be happier were revenge not to be taken, at least in a physical way. We can press charges, go to court, but I don't want to upset Miguel's spirit."

Lulsa sighed as she looked at her husband who wanted to argue with her. He wanted to cause as much pain as the death of his son had caused him. He knew that Lulsa was right though. He looked to Gloria knowing how deep and unconditional Miguel's love for her had been. He hoped that she would be okay.

CoCoCoCoCoCo

Miguel stared ahead of him as he moved his fingers. It felt strange. He had dressed up as a skeleton before but now he had actually been claimed by this world. He wrapped an arm around himself as he started to let his mind run wild. He felt ill. The officer had said that he could soon leave and Hector had promised that he could stay with them but still…what if the worst happened. Miguel closed his eyes, remembering how Chicharron had vanished, how Hector had nearly vanished.

"Nino?" Coco asked as she put a hand to his shoulder and Miguel smiled. She seemed to be living a good afterlife with more coherent thinking. However, he was scared of the way in which he had died. Would Gloria ever forgive him for leaving her and the girls? "Nino, what is it, what's wrong?"

Hector stared at Miguel and kneeled down in front of where he was sitting, "I know it's scary. I was scared too when I entered this world. We are here to help you. You can trust us, Miguel."

"What if I'm forgotten?" Miguel whispered as Hector and Coco shared confused glances. They knew that Miguel was unlikely to be forgotten. He was a famous musician. What was more was that his family wouldn't forget him and he had done nothing to be sorry for. He had been a hero to save a young family member. His daughter was unable to protect herself, she relied on her papa for that.

"Nonsense," Hector said. "Miguel, listen to me, you will _not_ be forgotten."

"What if…if no one wants to put my picture up. When I was alive, I didn't remember many of the people who were on our ofrenza, not before I had gone here. Maybe not now, maybe not in even ten or twenty years, but people will stop caring about me. No one will -"

"What about Socorro, your sister will always put your picture up," Coco tried to reassure him.

"Not if she stops believing in tradition. I think I need some time alone," he said.

Hector watched him, his mouth open but he just put one of his bony hands on his great great grandson's shoulder. "We'll be waiting outside for when you're ready," he tried to promise him. Miguel nodded. He felt empty. He would be missing so much of his daughters' lives. He would be missing Gloria's life, would she remarry? Would he be able to be happy for her to remarry? He hoped he just took satisfaction in her happiness.

Miguel sighed as he felt a brush of wind and saw one of the leaves from the bridge. He picked it up, seeing how the color and his bones were more contrasting colors and put the leaf to his chest. "If only I could go home," he said and closed his eyes. As he said that, there was a strange light around him. Was he being forgotten already? Was he being punished? What was happening to him?

CoCoCoCoCoCo

Gloria had gone out very early in the morning to stare at the moon. Her husband was gone and soon she would have to get on with her life without him. She didn't know where to start. She loved Miguel without question and they had always made their decisions together. Now it was just her and their daughters without the heart and soul of the family. Miguel was a better person than her. He had always been a better person than her.

Gloria pushed a hand over her eyes before hearing a crash. Was someone out here? She looked to the trash cans before finding that they were unmoved. Was it in the distance that she had heard that sound? It had appeared so close but maybe her thoughts were affected.

"Ow…" she heard a familiar voice and took a deep breath in. She was hearing his voice. She was imagining him already. She saw something in the moonlight, something white and like stone. She took a breath in before going towards the noise. She felt so scared right now.

As she saw what appeared to be a skeleton on the ground, she screamed. She saw the body moving and screamed again pushing her back to the wall and her eyes widened in terror. What was happening? What was - She saw the skeleton stand and wobble slightly on the bony legs. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, my daughters need me alive," she said before looking up and her mouth opened. She knew that face even without the skin on it. "Miguel?" she whispered as she stared at the skeleton who looked more like a Dios De Los Muertos decoration.

"Glo-Gloria?" he asked as he looked around and then looked to his hand. He was still the way he appeared in the land of the dead but was he truly being seen by one of the living. "Gloria?" he asked again and she nodded, tears streaming down her face. Miguel took a step towards her but when he saw her flinch, he took a step backwards. He wanted to touch her but didn't. He didn't want to hurt or scare her.

"Miguel?" she asked him. "Miguel, where is your body?" she asked and Miguel looked away.

"I think maybe at a morgue or somewhere," he said and Gloria nodded nervously. "Gloria, mi amor, I don't want to hurt you. I don't know why I'm here. I don't know why I am in the world of the living. I am dead, my love." Gloria nodded and flinched again, he looked so scary. Was she imagining this?

"I think that maybe I am here to tell you goodbye and that I love you," he said and Gloria nodded. Miguel took another step towards her and saw Gloria steady her breaths. She was still scared of him. She took a step forward but fell, her shoe feeling loose. Was this a sign?

Miguel didn't know if he could touch her but he moved forward and felt a force as she landed against his skeleton. She sobbed and Miguel froze as his head dropped from his neck. If she saw this she might be even more traumatized. "I have you," he told her as he willed for his head to move but it didn't, he wasn't skilled enough yet. "

"Thank you, Mig-" she said before looking up at him and screamed. Where was his head? Why had his head disappeared? She put her hands to her mouth before spotting something on the ground. Nervously she reached down and saw that this was her husband's skull. She bent down next to it and very delicately picked it up. She looked into his eyes. There was a lot about the dead which she didn't understand. "Here," she said as she saw him reach out for the head but she moved forwards and placed the skull on his neck. She turned it to make sure it was on securely.

"If this is the last time that I see you, I want you to know that I'm okay. I'm going to be okay. I will wait for you in the land of the dead, Gloria, but if you have to belong to a different family, I understand. I do have one favor to ask you. Actually two."

Gloria finally managed to cup Miguel's cheek with her hand. Despite how she was scared, she loved him. She let her fingers spread over the bone and he seemed to take pleasure in that hold. "Anything, my darling," she said and Miguel smiled nervously.

"Please take care of our daughters. I will watch them grow as much as I can but please take care of them," he saw Gloria nod as she wiped away her tears. "And second, please put my picture on the ofrenza."

"Of course," Gloria said before seeing Miguel collapse onto the ground. She got down next to the skeleton unsure of how to help him. "Miguel," she said before seeing his bones and his body vanish. She didn't know whether she had imagined that or not. "I promise, Miguel," she whispered unsure if she were losing her mind or not. It didn't matter if she was, what Miguel had asked for, she had planned to do anyway. Even if she was hallucinating, she would take care in respecting his wishes.

CoCoCoCo

Miguel looked down at the leaf he was holding as he regained consciousness in the world of the dead. He saw a few officers staring at him and then turned to Coco and Hector who were looking at him with great concern. He froze. Would they tell him off for seeing Gloria? He had wanted so badly to see her and then just found himself at her side.

"Where were you?" Hector asked and Miguel looked at him.

"The world of the living…" he said as they stared at him in shock and some of the officers in horror. "I appeared like this. I spoke with my wife, she spoke with me, touched me."

"That…" Hector said, "Should not be possible."

**End of Chapter Three**

**Thank you for reading**

Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two

Gem, Guest


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